On April 27, the government’s Integrated Innovation Strategy Promotion Council (chair: Chief Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato) announced a plan to establish a research organization to study and analyze dual-use technologies, such as artificial intelligence (AI), quantum cryptography, and robot technology.

The Japanese government hopes to strengthen research capabilities of advanced dual-use technologies and thereby enhance Japan’s national security, as the global competition heats up over their development. The new research organization will, therefore, evaluate issues associated with advanced technologies from a broader perspective, taking into account national defense and economic security implications, before making policy proposals to the government.

The technologies to be considered will be selected by government agencies such as the Cabinet Secretariat; the Ministry of Economy, Trade and industry; the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology; and the Ministry of Defense’s Acquisition, Technology and Logistics Agency.

Universities, public institutions, and overseas think tanks will be invited to work in collaboration with the new organization. Until its scheduled launch in FY 2023, the research activities will be commissioned to outside institutions. (Abridged)